Ticket, please

    Three engineers and three accountants are traveling by train to a conference.  At the station, the three accountants each buy tickets and watch as the threeengineers buy only a single ticket. "How are three people going to travel on  only one ticket?" asks an accountant. "Watch and you'll see," answers an engineer.
    They all board the train. The accountants take their respective seats but all three engineers cram¹ into a restroom and close the door behind them. Shortly after the train has departed, the conductor comes around collecting tickets. He knocks on the restroom door and says, "Ticket, please." The door opens just a crack and a single arm emerges with a ticket in hand. The conductor takes it and moves on.
    The accountants saw this and agreed it was quite a clever idea. So after the conference, the accountants decide to copy the engineers on the return trip and save some money (being clever with money, and all!).
    When they get to the station, they buy a single ticket for the return trip. To their astonishment², the engineers buy no tickets at all.
    "How are you going to travel without a ticket?" says one perplexed³ accountant. "Watch and you'll see," answers an engineer.
    When they board the train the three accountants cram into a restroom and the three engineers cram into another one nearby. The train departs. Shortly afterward⁴, one of the engineers leaves his restroom and walks over to the restroom where the accountants are hiding.  He knocks on the door and says, "ticket please."

1 cram   

v.填塞，塞满，临时抱佛脚，为考试而学习

参考例句：

• There was such a cram in the church.教堂里拥挤得要命。
• The room's full,we can't cram any more people in.屋里满满的，再也挤不进去人了。

2 astonishment   

n.惊奇，惊异

参考例句：

• They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
• I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。

3 perplexed   

adj.不知所措的

参考例句：

• The farmer felt the cow,went away,returned,sorely perplexed,always afraid of being cheated.那农民摸摸那头牛，走了又回来，犹豫不决，总怕上当受骗。
• The child was perplexed by the intricate plot of the story.这孩子被那头绪纷繁的故事弄得迷惑不解。

4 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。